Allan pollock



A. POLLOCK.

} Gas Generator.

Patented Aug. 11, 185 7.

' UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

ALLAN POLLOCK, OF IVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

lMPROVEMENT lN GAS-GENERATORS.

A I Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 17,981 dated August11, 1857.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be ihknown that I, ALLAN POLLOOK, of the cityof Washington, in theDistrict of Columbia, have; invented a new and useful apparatus forgenerating gas for illuminating purposes from peat or any oleaginous,bituminous, or other gaseous material, by which a much largeramount of gas can be made from the peculiar form of the retort, with thecanister within so constructedthat the gas shall find an exit from themiddle of the canister in place of the top. In this way I draw off nonebut the pure and well-distilled gas, leaving the more crude portion forfurther distillation.

The construction of the retort is such that the gas is impinged againstthe heated retort in its way through the grooves to the gas-chamber.Hereit is commingled with the hydrogen gas when too dense, both beingperfected and in a highly-heated condition. Thebest mode I have foundand which I have adopted for generating hydrogen gas is to imnierse apiece of zinc in muriatic acid. By

this process I get a very valuable residuum viz., chloride of zinc.

The other portions of my apparatus are such as are usually adopted andin general usein portable gas-machines, and are fully shown in Fig. 1.

To enable any others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, Iwill now pr0- ceed to describe its construction and operation.

First. The retort A (see Fig. 2) is a plain upright cylinder with aconcave bottom and open at the top, which has a lip or flange d for itssupport in the stove or furnace, in either of which it can be set. 011one side of the flange is an upright a, to which the clamp b isattachedby a movable joint. At the other side is a spring-catch c for fasteningthe clamp.

19. At the middle of the clamp b is a thumbscrew for tightening theclamp and pressing down the lid of the retort A. Just below the mouth ofthe retort there is an opening on each side for a pipe, one for theingress of hydrogen gas when it is needed and the other g for the outletof the gas on its way to the condenser. On the reverse sides there aretwo or more grooves h h for the passage of the gas on its way to thegas-chamber 'i from the vent-holes jj of the canister. The gaschamber '5is formed by the space left between the lid of the retortfand the top orlid of the canister Z. It is used for commingling the gas from theretort with the hydrogen when its density is too great. The canister Itis made of sheet-iron to fit inside of the retort.

A.. It is used for holding the peat or other material from which the gasis to be made and for the more easily removing the coke or charcoal. Ithas two or more vent-holes j j for the escape of the gas through thegrooves h h on its way to the gas-chamber z. The lid or top of thecanister Z is made so as to extend dpwn to the top or upper edge of thevent-holesjj, and is intended to prevent the exit of the gas from thetop of the canister, but to allow it to escape only from the openingsjj, which are near the bottom of the retort. By thus taking the gas fromthe middle of the canister I take only that portion that has passedthrough a thorough distillation, leaving the crude and unperfectedportion for further action of the heated canister. The gas also in itspassage to the gas-chamber is thus made to impinge against the heatedmetal of the retort A, which thoroughly resolves every portion of thegaseous material into a rich and permanent gas, a considerable portionof which would otherwise pass off and be deposited in the drip p in thecondition of tar or pyroligneous acid. I thereby greatly increase thevolume of gas and pu rif y it by one process in place of a double one,as is the case in the French mode of manufacturing gas from peat.Although I have adopted the upright form for the retort, a horizontalposition will answer full as well. The lid of the retort is of the usualdescription used for this purpose.

Second. The hydrogen-gas generator B, Fig. 1, consists of a coppercylindrical vessel with a convex or raised lid m, to be secured byscrew-joint, suitable packing, or other mode to prevent the escape ofthe gas. Through the center of the lid a rod of zinc n is to be insertedof sufficient length to extend down to and into the muriatic acid, andof size suitable for generating the quantity of gas required. Theopening where it enters is to be secured against leakage by packing orsome other suitable mode, but at the same time to allow the zinc rod 91to be drawn up or depressed, as may be requisite. On one side, justbelow the lid, a pipe g is to be attached for the purpose of conveyingthe hydrogen gas from the generator B to the gaschamber of the retort. Astop-cock 0 is to be inserted in the pipe g near the entrance of thepipe into the stove or furnace for the purpose of turning the hydrogeninto the-gas chamber 2' or stopping the flow thereof. The pipe g entersthe stove or furnace at or near the bottom of the retort, and, runningup between the retort and the lining of the stove or furnace, it entersthe retort at the gaschamber 2'. By this mode the hydrogen becomesthoroughly heated before it enters the gas-chamber and is mingled withthe gas from the retort.

Third. The condenser C, Fig. 1, is a cylindrical or square vessel, whichcan be made of either wood or metal, with a drip p or tight chamber atthe bottom, to which drip are attached by a collar on the top two pipes,one for the introduction of the gas from the retort and the other q forits exit on the way to the gasometer or tank. Pipe g just below itselbow has a stop-cock r for regulating the flow of the gas from theretort, and above the elbow is a try-coclt for testingthe strength andpurity of the gas. The condenser is to be kept filled with water whilein use for the refrigerating of the gas. The drip 1) has a stop-cock orfaucet for drawing off any tar or other deposit that may be made in itby condensation.

Fourth. The gasometer or tank D, Fig. 1, can be made of the usual formor to suit the views of the operator. The one I prefer is of acylindrical form, having an upper and a lower section, the lower to befilled with water and having'a faucet at or near the bottom for drawingoff the water. Pipe 1 is the induction-pipe and has a goose-neck at itsextreme end, which is introduced into the water.

Pipe t is the exit-pipe for the outlet of the gas to the main pipe.

Fifth. E, as seen in Fig. 1, is a common cylindrical stove, lined up tothe top with firebrick or soapstone, having a door for the fuel and anash-pan below. The retort is inserted in the top, resting on its flange(Z. About midway of the stove the pipe g is introduced for theconveyance of the hydrogen gas on its way to the gas-chamber 1'.

Near the top on the opposite side is an opening for the exit of theperfected gas by pipe 9 Having described the construction of myapparatus, I will now proceed to describe its operation.

Having prepared the gasometer and the condenser by putting in each theproper quantity of'water and filling the hydrogengas generator aboutone-fourth full with muriatic acid, raise up the zinc rod 12 and securethe lid of the generator, close the stop-cock r, and make the fire inthe stove or furnace. Fill the canisters with the material from whichthe gas is to be made (there should always be three or four canistersready to save delay) and put one in the retort as soon as it is wellheated. Having closed the retort with the lid, (which must be well lutedto prevent leakage,) secure it well with the fastenings. As the gasgenerates, it is forced through the vent-holes of the canister and,passing up through the grooves h h, is ejected into the gas-chamber 'i,where, if its density should require, it is mixed with the hydro genfrom pipe 9. As soon as a sufficient quantity of gas is formed, opentry-cock s and light the jet. The hue of the flame will show whether itis too dense or not, and which can readily he graduated by the stop-cocko and raising or depressing the zinc rod n. A dark-brown color indicatesthat the gas is too dense, while a pale-bluish hue shows that it has toomuch hydrogen and needs to be enriched with carbon. \Vhen the gas isproperly tempered, close the try-cock s and open the stop-cock 0', whenthe gas will pass into the condenser through pipe g where it isrefrigerated and all its impurities deposited in the drip 1:). Passingthrough drip p it ascends through pipe q, and is finally injected intothe water with which the lower section of the gas-tank is filled. Risingagain,it is discharged into the gasoineter purified and ready for use.

hat I claim, and desire to be secured to me by Letters Patent, is

1. The peculiar form and arrangement of the retort, with the grooves forthe passage of the gas from the vent-holes of the canister to thegas-chamber.

2. The canister with the vent-holes, as before described, by which Itake the gas from the center of the canister, the lid extending down toor near the top of said vent-holes.

3. The hydrogen-gas generator, with the pipe g connected therewith, bywhich means the retort is supplied with the requisite quantity ofhydrogen, in the mode and manner as set forth in my specification.

ALLAN POLLOCK.

Vitnesses:

D. F. LAIRD, JOHN S. I-IoLLINGsHEAD.

